2/27/11

Selena speaking: Sorry guys, I fell behind. I posted last week's email today in a seperate post.

Hey family,

Hey! I love you guys! How have thing been? Its so good to hear from you guys again. It feels like this week went by so quickly again, actually this whole transfer went by quickly. Sorry, this email`s gonna be pretty short if thats okay, we`re planning to go to the zoo in a few hours so...yeah.

Well, this week has truely been amazing! We were blessed to see an amazing miracle this week. Here`s the 411 on the story: Back in the old times (Elder Hinton should remember) Elder Hinton and I found an amazing investigator named Kawamata in Okamachi. He was literally a golden investigator! We were able to have one lesson with him and it was amazing. But, it turned out he lived in Amagasaki, which was the area right next to us, so Elder Hinton and I went to Amagasaki so we could hand him off to the Amagasaki Elders. On a kokan, I was able to share the message of the Restoration and invite him to baptism with one of the Amagasaki elders. After sharing the message of the Restoration, Kawamata actually teared up a bit and told us that he had chicken skin from the hearing the message! Spirit Power! Ah, it was such an amazing lesson! I was sure that he would get baptized! But, unfortunately after that lesson, the Amagasaki elders lost contact with Kawamata. I was super bummed to hear that he had dissapeared off the face of the planet! I tried calling him every once in a while but I still couldn`t get in contact with him.

Twas a sad moment...

BUT! thats not the end of the story. (if it was, that would be a lame story) So, about two weeks ago at the all mission taikai, one of the Amagasaki elders came up to me and told me that they got a hold of Kawamata! I guess he had been in the hospital for a few months and just couldn`t get a hold of the elders! Ah, I was so happy to hear that they got a hold of him again! Once he got a hold of the elders, he told them that he wants to get baptized! HE did! When he was in the hospital, he really thought about the message we shared with him and he started feeling it was true. And from that feeling, he got in contact with the elders after being released from the hospital and started investigating again! I knew that he was an elect from the moment we contacted him!

So during this week, I got a call from my buddy Johnson Choro in the office telling me that Kawamata passed his baptismal interview with flying colors! Ah! I was so happy to hear that! and he kept on telling him on how grateful he was for meeting with Elder Hinton and I. Ah, I was so happy for the rest of the week! Literally, I felt this super joy just coarsing through my body! It was unbelievable! Well, the baptismal service was on Sunday. Kawamata wanted me to come but it was during chruch so unfortunately, I couldn`t leave my little Iwade. BUT I WAS SO HAPPY FOR HIM! These kinda experiences make the mission so amazing! Ah I love being a missionary! I need to give that man a huge hug!

Well, that was my super amazing miracle of the week! I mean we had a bunch more...but I is too lazy to write them up right now. Transfer calls are gonna be this Tuesday! DUNDUNDUNNNN! I have no idea whats gonna happen this next transfer...I could be training, I could have a new companion, I could even be in a new area! Who knows? But whatever happens, I`m gonna work so hard! I want to see more miracles happen where ever I go! My new goal of the transfer is to work with the Spirit more. Nothing happens in missionary work without the Spirit you know?

Anyways, I hope you guys are doing amazing! I love you guys so much! Tell me everything that goes on over there in Utah for me okay? Oh and for the flyingpig thing, I`m okay. Please don`t spend so much money on me! Its okay, I won`t die! bahaha okay welll I gotta go now. Know that I love you guys! Peace!

Mucho Amor,
Elder Saito

2/20/11

HHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYY,

Hey, how are you family? Looks like you`re all doing awesome! Just got the pictures of the dinner with Elder...I mean Brother Hinton. haha its so weird to see him without a name tag! Tell him herro for me will ya? Wow, it`s already been about two months since he got off of his mission now huh? Unbelievable. Time is going by so quickly...Can you believe that its already the last week of the transfer? Time in Iwade seems to be slipping away. But thats only because there`s some hard work going on over here! So, how is the family? Everyone getting prepared for a year full of travel and marriages? I can`t believe you guys are going all over the place in such a short time. I is excited for you! Selena, sounds like the Reno trip was fun for you! You got a backpack hurrah!

Wow, I can`t believe its almost the end of the transfer already...but I`m so excited! You don`t even know! We have a baptism set up on the twelvth of next month! Our yakusokusha`s named Fukunaga. He`s really an awesome guy, I love him to death. He`s a graduate student up at Kindai University right now and its looking pretty good. He has a genuine desire to learn more about the Gospel but there`s some parts that are still hard for him to accept. But hey, I don`t except him to take in everything all at once. True conversion comes with effort and most importantly, the Holy Ghost. He asks really deep questions too so it shows that he is honestly trying to learn more about the Gospel. We`re gonna finish teaching everything this Wednesday and help him prepare for the baptismal interview. Ah, I`m so stoked! We have a tentative baptismal interview date set on the eighth, but things could change because its kind of at a yayakoshi time because transfers are going to be a week before it. But, we`ll figure things out for sure! Pray for him will you?!

Ah, other than that, this week has been great. We had a transfer record of 18 people at chruch yesterday! The branch is regaining strength! AND I had an awesome kokan with Camacho choro this Thrusday! He`s such an awesome elder. He`s Philipino but he grew up in Okinawa...so he`s pretty much Japanese. Ah the Sennan Elders are so awesome! Dantas and Camacho, an awesome combination. Ah fun times, kokans are always the best because you get to mix things up! And then after that we had a sweet district meeting too. We`re starting to change our planning methods so we can more effectively work with investigators and memebers. Yay for improvement! I`m so excited for the up coming transfer though. I`m probably staying in Iwade...I mean I better stay in Iwade. I wonder who my new companion will be? Or will I train this next transfer?...find out next next week. Which reminds me, next week we might go to the zoo with the Sennan elders! YAY! Why am I so excited? Because there`s gonna be a potential investigator from Guatamala who`s gonna be there. Spanish dendo, here I come!

Well, it sounds like you guys are happy! But I still hope you guys are doing awesome. Things in Provo are probably going smooth eh? Tell me everything that goes on over there okay! I gotta go now and do what a missionary does aight? I LOVE YOU GUYS! Have a great week! Peace.

OKBYE,
Elder Saito

2/13/11

HEY!

How are you family?! HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!! I just wanna say that I love you guys! Its so good to hear from you guys again. Sorry my emails didn`t send a few weeks ago, I guess that happened to a few other missionaries too. But, I`m happy to finally hear from you guys again. How are things? It sounds like theres quite a lot of interesting stuff happening over there in Utah. Thats so awesome how Allie`s story was put into the New Era! Tell her congrats for me okay?


Speaking of time going by quick, this week flew right over my head! It was such an amazing week though. We were blessed so much! We had zone conference, which was awesome. And an all mission conference, which was awesome. And sweet lessons with great investigators! The zone conference was so great though. It was all the way over in Mikunigawaka so we had to jump on our little one man train early in the morning to get there. But guess who`s in my zone? Emma Tohara! Twas awesome being able to see her again. It caught me off guard so bad though! Emma is already on her second to last transfer! She gave her final goodbye testimony in zone conferece. I swear she just barely left on her mission! What has happened! haha I better be careful or the same thing will happen to me if I don`t pay attention ya know? But her testimony was great. Its amazing to see how a mission can change someone like that. Oh, and President McIntyre`s training was amazing! I learned so much in a jam packed hour that`ll help me on my mission so much! Zone confernce was just amazing.

But all mission conference, wow! We were blessed to hear from President and Sister McIntyre, Aoyagi kaicho and shimai, Sister Cook and then ended it with Elder Cook`s amazing testimony and vision of missionary work. It was a spiritual punch in the face! Just wakes you up and makes you want to spread the Gospel to everyone in the world! There were so many things that I loved in the mission confernece that I am way too lazy to quote them all...so I`ll tell you some of my favorites.

"What you`re doing here is the most important work you can possibly do in your life. You are not the only one who benefits from a mission. Everyone you love will be affected."
-Elder Cook
SO good, so good. I heard everything that I needed to hear from this taikai. Plus it was awesome because the whole mission was there and I was able to talk with all of my doki and friends. We weren`t aloud to have cameras so sorry, no pictures of Elder Cook or doki! But it was such a great experience. It was super sad saying good bye to some missionaries though because it was there last transfer...but I`m sure I`ll be able to see them again somehow!

Well, the taikai`s (conference) were just amazing. And we had awesome dendo experiences too! We have some pretty amazing investigators too. One of them being Hiramoto. He`s a highschooler but he has a desire to learn more about this Gospel. He was a referral from a memeber in Saitama! I know right? A referral in Japan, what? But it happened! He`s totally golden...but dendo is never that easy. But hey, it was never supposed to be easy. Because he`s still 17, he needs parents approval to be baptized. And they seem to be hantai. BUT we wont lose hope on him. I have faith that he`ll be baptized!

Ah so many things had happened throughout this week! I`m excited for the up coming weeks and what`s going to happen. Well, I`m running out of time, and I`m too poor for another hour on this computer so I`m going to go. Thanks so much for all you do you guys! I love you so much! thanks for the package too! But I don`t want you guys spending money on me anymore so there`s no need to send me anything! Okay, know that I love you guys! Peace!

Mucho Amor,
Elder Saito

2/8/11

Hey all of you!

First off, I want to say that I love you guys so much!

Second, I`m not too sure why my last weeks email didn`t send but here it is anyways:


Letters from Iwade:

Dearest family,

How are you guys? Its so good to hear from you! I can`t believe a week has already passed since I last emailed you guys. So many things have happened in such a short amount of time, I dont even know what to talk about anymore. But its sounds like America (as in people I know) is turning into a riot! Allen, Cindy, Logan AND Alisha`s all getting married without me there? Shame on them! haha but I`m so happy for them. Everyone`s getting married nowadays aren`t they? I wonder who is next...hmmm.

But, it sounds like the family has some pretty fun activities coming up this year. Selena and Richard are coming to Japan huh? Thats going to be sick! Tell them to say hello to obachanx2 for me okay? What exactly do you guys have planned for Spain though? Is Dad presenting something there or is he going to be studying at the university in Barcelona? I bet the sight seeing there is going to be sick! One day I`ll go to Spain...one day. Ryan`s finally on the mission! I`m so happy!

Thank you SO much for the package! I was surprised how much you could shove into one cardboard box and mail to Japan. That thing was about to burst at its seams! Thanks for the pictures too, I`ll be sure to use them more effectively with my "jikoshokai picture dendo." If you guys want anything from lovely Iwade feel free to ask! I mean, there`s like...one daiso here but its all good. Its so good to hear that Luis and Bona`s doing awesome. I need to get their addresses sometime! I think I may have Luis` but I"m gonna have to do some searching. Its so crazy to think that a bunch of my friends are all across the world spreading the same message to all the people. The Gospel is truely remarkable isn`t it?

Well, this week has been truely filled with miracles! Seriously, the Lord has blessed us so much! We started the week with two investigators but we were able to end the week with nine investigators and two people who are set with baptismal dates. Iwade may be inaka, but as long as we trust in the Lord, He will work through us so we can find the elect. Iwade is literally the land of faith. In all opposition, faith and hope are the determining factors whether or not you will succeed here. Its a lesson that I`ve started to learn for the first time on my mission. Iwade doesnt have the convenience of hundreds of people walking on the street all day or a huge ward with a bunch of members. Its a place where you learn how to deal with whats given to you and just work. I`m not going to lie, there are plenty of days I feel hopeless, but those are the times that all I can do is turn to something divine. ST Luke 1:37. "For with God nothing shall be impossible." Seriously, through out this whole week, this simple scripture was running through my head...its literally all I could think about! Those seven simple words helped me and my companion out so much. I need to learn how to trust more in the Lord and not let my doubts and fears overcome me. If I work hard enough, I know that the Lord will work miracles! With the Lord`s help, we can help rebuild the foundation of Iwade. It may take a longer time, but thats when patience plays it`s roll. I know that success will take time...I just need to learn how to be more patient.

It may seem that there isn`t much going on in this sleepy town but I promise that things are going to change here in Iwade. So no worries about me! I`ll be just fine. Just keep on praying for our investigators will ya guys? I gotta go now, but it was way good to hear back from you guys! Hope all of you guys are doing awesome! Tell me all thats going on in good old Provo for me otay? Otay. Love you guys! Peace.

Mucho Amor,
Elder Saito

Anyways this is back to this weeks.

How are you guys? What`s going on over in Provo Utah? You guys need to keep me updated with all the 411! It sounds like you guys are awesome so I is super happy to hear that. Thats horrible that they passed that bill about shooting stray cats! I mean, I don`t really care about Rupert but I`m sure it would be zannen if other cats got shot...

Well, I would have to say that this week was just...one of the most up and down weeks ever. I`ve honestly never felt so fearful and uncertain about things...and yet so hopeful and genki at the same time. I felt so down at the start of the week. I was so worried and just thought about myself the whole time and it was literally, tearing me apart. I was selfish, I really was, and I didn`t know what to do with myself. So I naturually felt inclined to turn to the Lord. I don`t think I`ve ever trusted in the Lord as much as I did this week. I probably prayed more within this week than I had during my whole mission. haha. I was seeking for guidance, enlightenment, anything that would help me. After my prayers, I didn`t feel that I received an answer for anything and I began to become frustrated. I was impatient with myself and began to doubt. BUT, the Lord never forgets us. I realized that fact this week. He`s promised us that if we seek, we shall receive. It doesn`t specifically state anywhere how many seconds, days, weeks, years it takes to receive that answer but the Lord has promised us that He will answer when the time is right. Later within the week, I realized that I`ve known my answer to my prayers the whole time. When I realized my answer, I felt the Spirit so strongly! That answer happens to be my purpose of being a missionary. My purpose is to invite others to come unto Christ. Its not only to baptism people but to share this Gospel to my brothers and sisters. I`ve been able to share this Gospel with countless number of people in Japan. Even if they kekko or ignore me, I feel so happy that I was able to share this Gospel with them! Even if it was a little bit. Baptism is only the end result of hard work, overcoming trails and accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior. I think that God has a purpose for me in this mission. And thats to rebuild areas and make them stronger then they were before. I think thats why President Mcyntire had sent me to white wash an area in my first transfer and to Iwade. We`ve already doubled the amount of new investigators found in the last transfer! Iwade is going to take a while to rebuild but thats still missionary work!!! I know that if I work hard every day, full of faith, the Lord will work miracles.

Other than my mission-life crisis, this week was awesome! I had an awesome kokan with my favorite Brazilian, Dantes Choro! It was such a blast! I was surprised though, I had remembered a lot more Spanish then I thought I did. (He`s ped at Spanish, Portugues and English by the way...Japanese is coming) He told me that I`ll probably go to Omihachiman sometime in my mission to serve in Spanish...hopefully we can work there together! That would be so much fun. I love that guy so much!

We also had a dinner at one of our investigators house on the 4th. I guess thats that one holiday where you throw beans at a demon (I forgot the name) and say `Oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi!` It was super fun, the dad of the investigating family had a oni mask on and we spent a good 5 min throwing beans at him. Oh Japanese tradition, how awesome are you!

Okay, well I`m running out of time and I don`t want to pay for another hour on this computer so i have to go! There`s so much going on over here in Iwade it would have to take me a lot longer to tell you all the details. But know that I`m still alive and working hard! Hope you guys are doing awesome! I LOVE YOU GUYS! Thanks for everything you do for me!

"Don`t worry about a thing. Cause every little thing is gonna be alright."
-Bob Marely

MUCHO AMOR
Elder Saito